The Interview

Interviews are arranged by invitation only for those applicants who appear to have the ability to successfully complete the academically rigorous curriculum of medical school, the personal characteristics that we desire of future physicians and the potential to fulfill the institution’s mission and goals. The interview is the final step in the assessment process for applicants already deemed to be highly attractive candidates. An interview is required before a final decision can be made on any application. There are no exceptions.

Applicants are invited to interview at the School of Medicine’s Baltimore campus. The School of Medicine does not conduct regional or off site interviews. Each individual invited to the School of Medicine will undergo two interviews. Interviews are conducted by faculty and students, in a one on one setting. The interviewers will have prior access to all of the applicant’s information, including grades, MCAT scores, personal comments in the AMCAS application, extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation. The interview provides the applicant with the opportunity to discuss their personal history and motivation for a career in medicine as well as any other aspect of their application that merits special attention or explanation. Candidates should be prepared to discuss any and all aspects of their application, including their specific interest in the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Applicants are expected to be forthright, open and honest in their responses to their interviewer’s questions.

The Committee on Admissions and faculty members are experienced interviewers who want to learn as much as they can about you as a person. The old cliche of "being yourself" does hold true here. Interviewers are trained to specifically evaluate each applicant’s maturity, support systems, level of confidence in their abilities, intellectual curiosity, motivation for medicine, depth of involvement in extracurricular activities, and professional bearing during the interview, among other factors. Applicants invited to interview are expected to possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a career in medicine and to conduct themselves in a proper and professional manner at all times during their visit to the School of Medicine. The interview evaluation is the last important factor considered by members of the Committee on Admissions in their deliberations regarding an applicant’s candidacy for admission.

The interview is, and should be, a two way street. The interview provides each applicant an excellent opportunity to visit our campus, view the basic science and clinical facilities, meet our faculty, staff and students and have questions answered by individuals knowledgeable about the medical school and its educational, research and community missions. Our interviewers expect applicants to ask them questions and are prepared to answer those questions to the best of their abilities. They understand that their involvement in the selection process serves two purposes; to function as both evaluator and recruiter.

During the interview day an information session will be conducted by the Associate Dean for Admissions and a member of the Office of Financial Aid. Applicants will also have the opportunity to have lunch with current medical students. After lunch a tour of the facilities will be conducted senior students. All of these activities will give the applicant ample opportunity to have questions answered and concerns addressed to their personal satisfaction.

All prospective students are urged to discuss the interview component of the selection process with their premedical advisors. Many undergraduate schools provide mock interviewing experiences which give prospective students insight into the interviewing process and may perhaps relieve some of the fear and anxiety that may occur during the interview day.